Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-24

The pension committee of the house
have unanimously reported in favor of
passing the pension bill over the presi-
dents veto. In their report they hardly
seek to disguise the belief that the pro-
posed bill would deplete the surplus in
the treasury, and. in fact, they seem to
have that object in view In recommending
its passage The report says that, re-
ducing the Whole question to one of
money espediency, it seems to the com
mittee that the surplus in the treasury
can be best restored to the people in the
manner proposed in the bill" The COM
mittee adds that it believes that if more
taxes or a different kind Of taxes were
necessary to meet the demand they would
be cheerfully paid by the people.
Tine professions OF the committee in
regard to the surplus show conclusively
that, aside from demagoguery, one of the
principal objects of the authors of the
bill was to increase the expenditures 10
such an extent that any reduction of the
taxes would be impossible. In other
words the bill is largely a device of the
iron barons of Pennsylvania and the
cotton kings of New England 1t is not
the necessities of the poor soldiers that
II ~ In,
probability that their own exorbitant
profits would be lesSened through an
honest revision of the tariff that is weigh,
ing upon their minds. They would like
to wipe out the present surplus entirely.
They would like to so increase the ex>
pendItures that the accumulation of
another surplus would be an impossible
ity. They would like to saddle the present
Ubiquitous system upon the country for
ever and ever. They wish to make
reduction of tariff taxes an impcssibiity.
The committee even 60 so far as to
suggest increased taxation TO meet the
demands of the pension list. There is an
almost universal demand for the reduce
ton of the taxes. and u congress. elected
principally upon that very issue, replies
to it through an important committee by
al intimation that more taxes are likelIer
than less. This would indeed be VIC
tory for the protectionists. The com
mittee, however. sadly mistakes public
opinion if it really believes, as it init,
mates, that more taxes would be wel>
coined by the people.
What public opinion really is in regard
to this dependent pension bill is best
shown by reference to the press. The
leading and most influential Dewspa-
pers Of the country are opposed to i;
almost without exception, Among the
independent papers which approve
the veto and condemn tde bill are the
New York Herald, the New York
Evening Post the New York Times,
the Chicago Times, the Baltimore Sun.
the Springfield Republican, the Phila
delphia Times, and the Boston Herald
Among the republican papers which are
against the bill and for the veto are the
Boston Traveller, the Boston Transcript,
the Worcester Spy, the Providence
journal, the Hartford Conrabt, the New
Haven Palladium, the New York Com
mercial Advertiser, the Troy Times, the
Rochester Herald, the Syracuse Journal,
the Utica Herald, the Buffalo Express,
the Philadelphia Press, the Philadelphia
North American, the Philadelphia Tele-
graph, the Philadelphia Bulletin, the
Philadelphia Inquirer. the Cincinnati
Commercial, the Cincinnati Times. Star
the Chicago Tribune. the St Paul
Pioneer Press, the Kansas City Journal
and others. The democratic newspapers
uphold the veto without exception, SO
far as we know.
The people sustain the president.
whether congress does so or not.